Progress!

So, things are humming right along here in Natorland, despite my attempts to sit on my ass as much as humanly possible. To wit:

• I believe I can tell you all now that Mrs. Nator is getting a promotion! For quite some time now - say, since she started working there - Mrs. Nator has been frustrated by [something that I've edited out by Mrs. Nator's request]. Over the last several months, Mrs. Nator, who was recently promoted to Assistant Director of her department (of three people, but still, they made a new position for her and gave her a raise), had begun to realize that in order to advance her career (and take the next step in her plan to RULE THE WORLD!) she would have to move up to Director and make more money. She figured this meant that she would have to leave her organization, even though she really loves what they do and the people there. Unfortunately, the Director, who, although a nice enough person, really was thwarting Mrs. Nator's ability to grow by... well, by being the Director.

  Long story short, the Director announced several days ago that she would rather be a second-in command somewhere and quit! In other words, Mrs. Nator used her crazy mental powers and manifested her own destiny! She will now be the Director, with an appropriate raise, and has plans to overhaul the department and hire new people to improve performance within the same budget. Go, Mrs. Nator, go!

  I didn't want to say anything before, because it wasn't sure, yet, and sometimes the board decides to fuck with things because they hate the CEO... and just love to fuck with things. But, although it's not a 100% done deal, the chairman of the board and the head of the finance committee have informed her privately that they will back her hire, so it looks like it will most likely be going through. Whew!

  Keep your fingers crossed, and then how about a hand for my honey?

• It's looking very likely that I will be going to vet tech school in the fall. I've got all my paperwork together, save my high school transcript (I want to see if there are any courses on it that will get me out of stuff like mandatory pre-calc...ugh) and trekked out to school today for an orientation session. Being a city community college, it's not exactly scenic, but it turns out it takes me a little less time to get out there than it did to get to my old job, so that works. Also, included in my tuition will be a membership with their decent gym and pool, which will effectively knock down the price several hundred dollars right there, since I won't have to renew with my gym. It's the little things, people!

  The major thing was, although it definitely felt weird to be the oldest prospective student in the room by far (I mean... far), I kind of dug the whole experience. Sitting in a sterile college meeting room, looking at the facilities, imagining studying in the library or sitting in the student café with a checked-out laptop... It all felt good. I feel trepidatious, but also excited about going to classes and learning and doing new stuff while being a student again. After all, there was a time in my life I thought I would be happy being a perpetual student. I think this all may be a really good thing for me...

• Not that I've made any progress in bringing in money. Shut up. It's my last week of severance and I started it out having a minor breakdown realizing that I couldn't get started on any of the freelance options I'd pondered or look at a job listing without wanting to puke. I just don't want to work, right now, see? I know, I know: who does? But I'm really not feeling it, lately.

  Fortunately, the combination of a talk with Mrs. Nator wherein she said it was okay if I just stay on unemployment a while longer (thank goodness for her raise!), my excitement about school and my excitement about vacation are making me a little more optimistic about the idea of working, now. Now that my goals are a little clearer, I'm more determined about working to attain them. Oh, and "what's that about vacation," you say?

• Mrs. Nator badly needs a vacation, but, for obvious reasons, we needed to set a strict budget. I, however, in all my internet-research wiliness, think I have figured out a way for us to be able to afford to go back to Hawai'i for around the same amount as the discount places we were looking into. And no, it doesn't involve doing a porn shoot. If it works out, I will be one seriously happy camper. Green turtles and helicopter volcano tour, here I come!

• Finally, I actually worked out today, for the first time in a few weeks. I know! And I think I might do it again!

And that's all the news that's fit to print, for now. More updates anon, or maybe I'll decide to write about something other than myself, for a change.

Nah.